House approves Mandatory Price Reporting Act, two more bills

The House on Tuesday approved three agricultural measures, including the Mandatory Price Reporting Act, the U.S. Grain Standards Act Reauthorization Act and the National Forest Foundation Reauthorization Act.

All three, previously approved by the House Ag Committee, were passed by voice vote.

According to House Ag Committee Chairman Mike Conaway, R-Texas, the bills all represent reauthorizations that were considered and approved before deadlines passed. He said it was his first goal as Chairman to complete the reauthorizations.

"I am pleased to have the support of my colleagues on these bills that are essential to the agriculture industry," he said in a statement Tuesday afternoon. "This completes our work in cleaning up the books of the House Agriculture Committee, addressing every item on the Congressional Budget Office's list of unauthorized appropriations under the Committee's jurisdiction."

Conaway said the bills provide resources that allow farmers, ranchers and the National Forest Foundation to "ensure operations carry on successfully."

The Mandatory Price Reporting Act, HR 2051, reauthorizes the Livestock Mandatory Price Reporting Act of 1999. The latest reauthorization was set to expire on Sept. 30, 2015. It mandates price reporting for live cattle, boxed beef, and live swine, and allowed USDA to establish mandatory price reporting for lamb sales.

HR 2088, the U.S. Grain Standards Reauthorization Act, provides for official inspection and weighing of bulk grains and oilseeds in a "reliable, uninterrupted, consistent, and cost-effective manner." The reauthorization lasts through Sept. 30, 2020.

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The Committee previously considered both HR 2051 and 2088 in hearings. At the time, the National Grain and Feed Association supported HR 2088 reauthorization as written, noting that it contained desired enhancements to transparency regarding the process USDA uses to delegate to state agencies its authority to conduct mandatory official inspections at export facilities.

The bill also reiterated USDA's responsibility to provide official grain inspection services at export elevators on an uninterrupted basis, among other provisions.

Finally HR 2394, the National Forest Foundation reauthorization, allows $3 million per year for fiscal years 2016-18 for restoration and enhancement of national forests and grasslands. These tasks include planting trees, preserving wildlife habitat, surveying streams, restoring and maintaining trails and other tasks.

The Foundation also educates and engages the American public on the importance of national forests and forest resources, the ag committee said.